Rangers notes: Tepesch says he won’t miss start

Nick Tepesch said Sunday he expects to make his next start after feeling no ill effects from a twinge in his knee that forced him to leave Saturday’s start in the seventh inning.

Tepesch said he went through routine treatment and felt fine, though club officials will continue to monitor him.

“We’ll continue to see how things go,” manager Ron Washington said. “He said he feels good.”

When that scheduled next start will be is uncertain. The Rangers haven’t set their rotation past Wednesday with an off-day on Thursday before hitting the road for nine games against Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox and Houston.

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If Tepesch’s condition were to take a different turn, Jerome Williams would likely get a second start or perhaps Miles Mikolas, who with the day off would be working on a regular four days’ rest.

Williams, who impressed in a spot start on Friday, will be available in long relief Monday, Washington said.

Holland still on target?

Left-hand pitcher Derek Holland presumably remains on schedule to be sent out Wednesday to begin a minor-league rehabilitation stint at Double A Frisco, though there seemed to be some doubt about that Sunday.

“He still wasn’t smooth,” said Washington, who supervised Holland’s fielding practice Sunday. “We’ll have to get together and talk about it.”

Holland has missed all season while recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee. He had originally been targeted to return around the All-Star break.

Martin vs. the lefty

Washington said he “had no choice” but to play Leonys Martin against A’s left-hander Scott Kazmir on Sunday with only a three-man bench.

Martin was moved down a spot to eighth in the lineup.

The Rangers center fielder was hitting .224 with a .263 on-base percentage against lefties this season.

He generally sits against lefties, though Washington said before the All-Star break that he planned to give him more exposure to southpaws.

• Yu Darvish returns to the mound Monday night to face the Yankees for a second time within a week after falling 2-1 in a game cut short by rain on Wednesday in New York. “They’ve seen me and I’ve seen them. It could go both ways,” Darvish said if he felt any advantage having faced them so recently.